A new Karyopherin-β2 binding PY-NLS epitope of HNRNPH2 linked to neurodevelopmental disorders

• DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.05.010
• Publication Date: 2023-06-05T14:43:58Z
• Authors: Abner Gonzalez; Hong Joo Kim; Brian D. Freibaum; Ho Yee Joyce Fung; Chad A. Brautigam; J. Paul Taylor; Yuh Min Chook
• Keywords: Karyopherin; NLS

AbstractThe normally nuclear HNRNPH2 is mutated inHNRNPH2-related X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder causing the protein to accumulate in the cytoplasm. Interactions of HNRNPH2 with its importin Karyopherin–β2 (Transportin-1) had not been studied. We present a structure that shows Karyopherin-β2 binding HNRNPH2 residues 204-215, a proline-tyrosine nuclear localization signal or PY-NLS that contains a typical R-X2-4-P-Y motif,206RPGPY210, followed a new Karyopherin-β2 binding epitope at211DRP213that make many interactions with Karyopherin-β2 W373. Mutations at each of these sites decrease Karyopherin-β2 binding affinities by 70-100 fold, explaining aberrant accumulation in cells and emphasizing the role of nuclear import defects in the disease. Sequence/structure analysis suggests that the new epitope C-terminal of the PY-motif, which binds Karyopherin-β2 W373, is rare and thus far limited to close paralogs HNRNPH2, HNRNPH1 and HNRNPF. Karyopherin-β2 W373, a HNRNPH2-binding hotspot, corresponds to W370 of close paralog Transportin-2, a site of pathological variants in patients with neurodevelopmental abnormalities, suggesting that Transportin-2-HNRNPH2/H1/F interactions may be compromised in the abnormalities.SummaryHNRNPH2 variants inHNRNPH2-related X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder aberrantly accumulate in the cytoplasm. A structure of Karyopherin-β2•HNRNPH2 explains nuclear import defects of the variants, reveals a new NLS epitope that suggests mechanistic changes in pathological variants of Karyopherin-β2 paralog Transportin-2.